Northern Ireland Office
Thank you very much to Dominic and to all of you, for your kind invitation.
And my heartfelt thanks to you Michel, not only for your warm and extremely wise words, but also for the way in which you have embraced the opportunity we now have for a genuine and lasting reset in the relationship between our two countries.
It is a privilege for me to be here, for the first time since my appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Ive only ever been to one other BIA conference, that was two years ago when I was a late substitute for my good friend Peter Kyle. I suspect it was my work as Chair of the Brexit Select Committee that made him think of me.
And over many years Dominic, you and I have shared many views about the choices the then-Conservative government made about our departure from the European Union, and the consequences of that decision still reverberate - and will continue to do so.
It was William Faulkner who once said: The past is never dead. Its not even past.
But what a remarkable history the BIA has borne witness to, over these past 52 years, as this truly unique annual conference has continued to provide an opportunity for a very wide range of people to come together and reflect on the ties that bind our two countries together.
Two countries that share so much history, culture, ideas, politics and friendships.
And its a story that runs like a thread through these islands and through the lives of so many of our families, including my own: on my side, it was an Ulster Scot from Fermanagh who made that journey that millions made across the Atlantic to Ohio which is where my mother came and, on my wifes side, Irish Catholics from Cork, Mayo and Kilkenny including her grandfather who was born in your constituency.
Now the history of these islands has not been benign. Over the centuries there have been terrible wrongs, great violence, revolution, bitterness butin recent years - reconciliation.
And throughout all that time that thread has remained in place, and it has found new expression in ways that would truly have seemed unimaginable to us in the past.
I must be frank, The Good Friday Agreement was something I never believed that I would see in my lifetime. But I did. We did.
It ushered in an end to three decades of bloody violence, and its founding commitment was to self-determination and the principle of consent.
Unionists and Nationalists sitting side by side in government. As you said Michel, the seemingly impossible made possible.
And what happened on that Good Friday 26 years ago was, and remains, an inspiration to many around the world, precisely because it was a triumph of political courage and patient diplomacy over bitter sectarian fatalism.And of compromise over intransigence.
Mo Mowlams words during the negotiations still resonate today, she said:
Everybody is going to get something. No-one is going to get 100% of what they want. That is the nature of negotiation and accommodation.
And all of those involved chose to do that in order to get something far more valuable.
Today the UK and Irish Governments stand on the shoulders of those who negotiated theAgreement. We are the co-guarantors of it and all of us in these islands are its custodians.
The Good Friday Agreement, and the peace and prosperity it has brought to Northern Ireland, is in my view the greatest achievement of the last Labour Government which I had the privilege to serve.
So let me be absolutely clear. This Labour Governments commitment to the Good Friday Agreement in letter and in spirit - is absolute.
Our support for the European Convention on Human Rights, which underpins the Agreement, is unwavering.
We will implement the Windsor Framework with pragmatic good faith, not least because we need to do so in order to negotiate a veterinary agreement with the European Union, but also in order to protect the open border on the island of Ireland.
The Prime Minister and the Taoiseach have agreed to hold annual summits as part of a renewed commitment to the strand 3 institutions.
And the Prime Minister and I indeed the whole Government - will work with all parties and all communities in Northern Ireland to support reconciliation, equality, respect for human rights and parity of esteem.
Now, the stability of Northern Irelands devolved government - a government that can work for all the people of Northern Ireland is absolutely fundamental to making these things happen.
And I want to pay a warm and genuine tribute to the First and deputy First Ministers to you Emma and to Michelle - and indeed to the whole Executive, for the positive start that you have made, the impression you have created and I warmly welcome the draft programme for government that was announced this week.
The Executive now has the foundation provided by that programme. It has a needs-based funding formula that was agreed with the previous government, and we are committed to putting in place a longer-term fiscal framework.
But like every government, difficult decisions need to be taken about how to balance the books and raise additional revenue, not least because there are deep-seated deep-seated challenges that Northern Ireland faces.
You highlighted one of those Emma yesterday in your wonderful contribution, the economic inactivity rate which is27% of the working age population which is5% higher than the UK as a whole.
The longest health service waiting lists in the UK, a third of patients waiting more than two years for treatment. And only 47% of A&E waits meeting the 4-hour target.
I think all of us agree that cant really continue. That is why we are absolutely committed as the government to working with the Executive as it seeks to transform Northern Irelands public services.
It is also incumbent upon all of us to uphold the devolved institutions, to ensure they endure and that they act for all the people in Northern Ireland.
Now I recognise that mandatory coalition is really difficult, imagine those of us with different political persuasions were having to cope with mandatory coalition in Westminster. But we all know that for over a third of the time since 1998, the institutions have not functioned fully. I dont think this would be accepted anywhere else.
My feeling is surely the people of Northern Ireland and the political parties and all of usmust recognise that whats happened in the past cannot happen again and were it to occur, our two governments as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, working with all the parties, would need to find a new way forward.
Turning to the economy, we should clearly look at the opportunities for the UK and Irish Governments to work collaboratively on projects to help improve growth in Northern Ireland including in its border regions.
And, while being strong supporters of the Union, this Government and this Secretary of State see no contradiction in also being supporters of North-South cooperation.
And in that context, I applaud you Michel for your work in developing and taking forward the Shared Island Programme which you referred to and the Fund, which makes a valuable contribution in so many ways. And when it comes to the all-island economy, and I know this is up for some debate, my feelings are very simple, it is a fact it is a success.
And I dont quite understand why there should be an argument about somehow denying its existence when so many businesses and livelihoods are sustained by it: the all-island dairy industry, big multinationals, like Lidl, McDonalds, Coca-Cola and so many small and medium-sized businesses which operate on an all-island basis.
On the Windsor Framework, let me be absolutely frank. There have been some very painful moments in the UK-Ireland relationship in recent years.
I bear too many scars from the approach of the previous UK government to our departure from the European Union, but this Government will ensure the smooth flow of goods within the UK internal market.
So, as I have said, we will implement the Windsor Framework in good faith while seeking the maximum pragmatism and proportionality. It is not without its challenges - I think that is probably the understatement of the year but it is necessary because we do want to do more to improve our trading relationship with the EU, in particular to negotiate a sanitary and phyto-sanitary agreement with the European Union which really would help. I think everybody knows that.
And with a sustained period of stability, political and economic, the opportunities are enormous, not least because of the talent, ingenuity and enterprise that exists right across Northern Ireland, and the unique trading position that Northern Ireland enjoys - what a wonderful opportunity for foreign direct investment - all within the UK internal market.
As I have travelled around Northern Ireland, both in opposition and now in Government and seen some of the world class businesses operating in life sciences, high-tech engineering, making composite aircraft wings and the buses of the future - electric and hydrogen - services and film and television, education - I am struck that all these firms have seen something in Northern Ireland and its people.
With continued political stability and optimism - and Im the third speaker at the forum who will say I am an optimist. It is the only way, I dont know how you can get up if you are not an optimist.We can help others to see the same thing and so encourage them also to invest in Northern Irelands future.
Now, the other rift in the relationship in recent years ha